Tag Archives: growing up

Edenbrooke

by Julianne Donaldson

 Unconditional Recommendation: A darling story of an innocent, whimsical 17-year-old girl who learns to embrace the love and acceptance she didn’t think would be hers.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 264
Published: 2012

Genre: Historical Romance

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On the Fence

by Kasie West

Conditional Recommendation: Sixteen-year-old Charlotte “Charlie” is a sporty tomboy growing up in a household of boys when a new job and a possible romance pushes her out of her comfort zone and into new ways of being a young woman.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Old Town Shops, Book 2 of 2
Pages: 295
Published: 2014

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

Conditional Recommendation: An engaging tale of friendship and adventure shared by a boy and his two hound dogs.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 249
Published: 1961
Genre: Adventure, Animal, Autobiographical Fiction

Awards: Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1987), North Dakota Children’s Choice Award (1981).

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Flipped

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Unconditional Recommendation: A humorous, honest story of first love, growing up, and changing perspectives told from alternating point of views.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 212
Published: 2001

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Comedy

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The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Unconditional Recommendation: A story of mystery, transformation and new life for a neglected young girl, her fearful cousin, and an abandoned garden.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 358
Published: 1911

Genre: Classic

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Ishmael

by E.D.E.N. Southworth

Conditional Recommendation: Ishmael, though born motherless and impoverished, rises above his circumstances through humility, integrity and hard work.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of 2
Pages: 528
Published: 1876

Genre: Historical

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Cheaper by the Dozen

by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Unconditional Recommendation: A hilarious and endearing collection of stories about efficiency experts, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and their growing household of twelve children.

Age: All Ages
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 237
Published: 1948

Genre: Memoir, Comedy

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Sophie’s Heart

by Lori Wick

Unconditional Recommendation: Follow a tenderhearted woman through the everyday life of caring for a grieving family with persistent faith and love that can encourage the heart of the reader.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 426
Published: 1995

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

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The War That Saved My Life (#1)

The War That Saved My Lifeby Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Conditional Recommendation: From a cruel mother to a good home, this is a young girl’s journey to freedom, healing, and identity through the help and care of her guardian during WWII.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: The War that Saved my Life, Book One
Pages: 316
Published: 2015
Genre: Historical

Awards: Newbery Medal Nominee (2016), Schneider Family Book Award for Middle School (2016), Odyssey Award (2016), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee (2017), Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature (2016), Bluestem Book Award Nominee (2017), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children’s (2015), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2017)

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